Alone or with a group, we all work out for our own reasons (New York Times News Service)
She walks by herself
Keeps her eyes on the sidewalk
Has said hi?once? Twice?
I?m a neighborhood runner, though rarely follow the same route. I weave; I lose count of blocks; I find new cul-de-sacs. I circle playgrounds and schools and church parking lots ? sometimes again and again and again if a long run?s on my schedule.
No matter which way I go, one of the constants tends to be a certain woman who walks. I usually see her on one particular stretch, but her presence periodically surprises me on side streets, too. She wears a baseball cap, exactly the right clothes for the weather, no headphones I?m aware of. She keeps her head down, her gait determined.
Though I?m not a chatty runner, I usually acknowledge people I see with a nod (if I don?t have the breath) or a hello (if I do). Most smile; some say hello back. She rarely does either; truth to tell, I can think of maybe two times her glance almost met mine.
I tend to go plunge deeply into my workouts, so I can appreciate her vocal and physical silence. Often when I finish my runs, even though music or the radio has hummed into my ears, I scarcely remember hearing anything.
Exercise is way more than a time to get in shape. It?s also a time to ponder, a time to think, a time to reminisce, a time to be aware of the world or to tune it out completely. The point is that it?s our time ? hers, mine, all of ours ? to spend (quoting my dad here) as we darnday well please.
I just find her intriguing, I guess, and wonder if she looks as much forward to her precious time as I do to mine.
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